day 4 - Wed

the weather is fine today, very sunny, quite cold and a bit windy - but the sight is absolutely clear.
We go downtown by Metra train and then head to Sears Tower (officially Willis Tower now, but the Chicagoans stick to Sears). With the clear view it´s amazing on the Skydeck on 103rd floor and that offers the option for spectacular photos.
After that we go to Millennium Park and have a picnic-lunch there - unfortunately the `Bean´ and the interactive fountains are under construction, so we cannot take the photos the way we wanted.
But that is forgotten onboard the architectural boat tour on the Chicago River. Amazing views and very informative information offer insights into the world of the skyscrapers. We know about ˋbrutalism´ now and ˋart deco´, how to interpret vertical lines and how skyscrapers are built to withstand windpower.
The day out is completed with a walk around the Tribute Tower with artefacts from all over the world to the Old Water Tower (the only building that survived the great fire in 1871) and the Museum of Contemporary Art (it was designed by the same architect who did our school building in Telgte).
Along the beautifully designed riverwalk along the Chicago River we go back to the Metra Station and then to Wilmette.
At 18:00pm there are probably not more activities in the homes than relaxing and dinner, but who knows …?